DC Comics And Beyond – Sword of Sorcery #0

After highlighting other comics recently, I figured it’s high time I talked about one of DC’s “New 52″ “Zero” issues, and so I’m discussing Sword of Sorcery #0.

Here’s the book’s description: “In this new series featuring the long-awaited return of AMETHYST, Amy Winston leads a strange life on the road with her mother. She’s about to learn why it’s all been necessary when she discovers she’s the lost princess of Gemworld — and has powerful enemies hunting her! AMETHYST is written by Christy Marx, best known for her work on animated TV series including G.I. Joe, Transformers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and more, as well as the comics series Sisterhood of Steel. And in the back-up story set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, the monstrous warrior BEOWULF is charged with finding and defeating the evil Grendel.”

I continue to be interested in female lead characters in comics, so I’m pretty happy to see Amethyst return to the pages of DC Comics. We don’t have enough of those, in my opinion.

It’s a good story, setting up future issues. It’s perfect timing to kick off a new book during the “Zero” issues. Amy and her mother are both strong women, and they make it a good jumping-on point. I particularly enjoyed the fact that both became blondes, which non-plussed Amy.

The art’s good, powerful and clear. I really liked the fact that the two universes have distinctly different feels. That’s good because it allows Earth to seem darker while what will become Gemworld is much more colorful and artsy. Nicely done!

I also liked the Beowulf story, which was quite a contrast to the Amethyst tale. No women to be found so far, and it’s much more violent, and that provides a perfect balance. Tony Bedard is the scripter, and he’s got a good grasp of the various people, including Wiglaf, the son of Weostahn, who is a crafty kid, deceiving Beowulf because he has to rely on his wits, something the soldier isn’t as good at. It’ll be interesting to see how Beowulf reacts when he finds this out!

A good, strong “Zero” issue, so I’m looking forward to the “first” issue next month!

This Week’s “New 52” Reviews: Yet again, it’s really tough to pick out any kind of order I want to put the “Zero” issues in, but I’m going to do my best! Justice League was my favorite, with a story about Shazam! (Captain Marvel) followed by a second tale, this one focusing on Pandora. Batwoman continues to be a stand-out in the Bat-family as she gives us the boot on the cover! Birds of Prey shows Batgirl meeting Black Canary. Next, I enjoyed DC Universe, which featured the Blackhawks’ Mother Machine, Hawk and Dove, Mister Terrific and O.M.A.C. Green Lantern: New Guardians is a prologue to the Third Army event. Legion of Super-Heroes focuses on Brainiac 5. Also, Nightwing introduces Dick Grayson’s origin via the “New 52.” Red Hood and the Outlaws describes how Jason Todd came back to life after being killed by The Joker. Wonder Woman tells us how she became a star pupil of Ares. Supergirl answers who sent her to Earth. Captain Atom is the final issue of the series, sadly. Blue Beetle #0 follows the scarab before it merged with Jaime, while Catwoman tells us how Selina Kyle took on her other identity.